Newsletter Archives

• Mac mini setup — KVM update

  Posted on March 3, 2025 at 02:43 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Will Fastie

  Reconfiguring the Mac mini so it would be a part of my KVM arrangement went without a hitch.

  I more or less expected that because the KVM box is a rather simple thing, although my use case is odd. I’ll explain that below. For now, I’ll just describe the slight differences that showed up when I made the KVM connection.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.09.0, 2025-03-03).

  Apple Adapters, Audio, DisplayPort, KVM, Mac mini, Mac setup, macOS, Newsletters, PC setup, Thunderbolt

• Setting up the Mac mini

  Posted on February 17, 2025 at 02:42 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Will Fastie

  Apple has an excellent reputation for helping iPhone users migrate from Android, a process that is smooth, precise, and friendly.

  It’s been over a decade since I set up a Mac, a 2009 model. My memory of that is vague, but I recall it as straightforward and easy to understand. I wondered whether today’s experience would live up to Apple’s past or to its excellent iPhone experience.

  I do not expect any oddities in my setup. However, there are a few things I should explain.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.07.0, 2025-02-17).

  Apple Adapters, HDMI, Mac mini, Mac setup, macOS, macOS Sequoia, Newsletters, PC setup, Thunderbolt

• How good is Mac software vs. Windows software, really?

  Posted on February 10, 2025 at 02:44 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  The flame wars over whether Apple programs and apps are better or worse than Windows programs and apps have raged on ever since the Apple I was released in 1976. Like a fool, I’m stepping right into the middle of this battle royale with today’s column.

  In the first two parts of my Mac-vs.-Win11 series, I described how to get the best price on the new, 2024 Mac mini with its M4 chip and how to choose an inexpensive keyboard, mouse, and monitor (if you aren’t insistent on buying peripherals from Apple).

  Today, I’m going to cover the software that comes with the Mac mini, as well as programs and apps that you can get as separate add-ons. I’m probably not going to satisfy anyone.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.06.0, 2025-02-10).

  Public Defender Apple, Mac mini, macOS, Newsletters, Software, Windows

• The problems and joys of assembling a Mac mini

  Posted on February 3, 2025 at 02:43 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  This is not your daddy’s Mac mini. Unlike minis of old, you’ll need some bits and pieces to get it ready to power on.

  Although the original Mac mini was introduced in 2005, it wasn’t until 2006 that Apple replaced the PowerPC G4 CPU with an Intel CPU — at the time a Core Solo and almost immediately upgraded to a Core Duo. The rear port configuration changed, with the large DVI connector replaced by smaller mini-DVI and mini-DisplayPort connections. In 2009, Apple began shipping models that included Mini-DVI-to-DVI and Mini-DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter cables as well as more USB-A ports.

  At that moment, Apple began to actively market the Mac mini as an attractive alternative to Windows PC users because it became port-compatible with peripherals the user already had. This made it possible to buy nothing more than the Mac mini, with no extras required.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.05.0, 2025-02-03).

  Public Defender Apple, Apple M4, Mac mini, Newsletters, Peripherals

• Windows 11, or a Mac?

  Posted on January 27, 2025 at 02:45 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 22.04 • 2025-01-27

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  Microsoft is ending all security and feature updates for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. (There are exceptions, but they require fees.) Some of my readers who resist upgrading to Windows 11 — which can require a whole new PC — are instead considering the previously unthinkable: buying a Mac.

  This kind of speculation has been spawned, in part, by Apple’s introduction of the new 2024 Mac mini last October. If you buy computers based on their cuteness factor, brace yourself. The latest mini is adorable. At only 5 inches (12.7cm) square and 2 inches (5cm) high, it’s a shiny little block of aluminum that you can fit into one hand.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.04.0, 2025-01-27).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Public Defender Apple, Apple M4, Mac mini, Newsletters, Windows 11

• What are we doing, and why?

  Posted on January 27, 2025 at 02:44 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Will Fastie

  Now you know what I alluded to a few weeks ago: Windows fanboy Brian Livingston is writing a comprehensive series about Macintosh — specifically, the Mac mini.

  No, we’re not changing course. This newsletter covers all things Microsoft and Windows and will continue to do so.

  But as I have noted in my news coverage of Apple over the last few years, there has been a seismic shift in personal computing as Apple transitioned into its own silicon. This cannot be ignored, especially because Microsoft has made strong efforts to make its software solutions available beyond Windows’ borders and into the Apple folds.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.04.0, 2025-01-27).

  Apple Apple, Apple M4, Apple Mac, Mac mini, Newsletters, Windows 11

• Three days of M4

  Posted on November 4, 2024 at 02:43 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Will Fastie

  Or were they?

  It turns out that the rumors I mentioned in my Apple article last week were not entirely accurate. With respect to the M4 chips, they were. With respect to the number of days, the count turned out to be three, not five.

  Now I think I know why, which I’ll get to in a moment.

  On the surface, the announcements last week had the M4 chips in common. It’s deeper than that.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.45.0, 2024-11-04).

  Apple Apple Intelligence, Apple M-series chips, Apple M4, iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Pro, Newsletters

• The October surprise

  Posted on October 28, 2024 at 02:42 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Will Fastie

  Most observers were expecting an Apple event in October. They were wrong.

  Which is not to say there was no surprise.

  On October 15, Apple announced its new iPad Mini. “Announced” may be overstating the case — the Mini didn’t even make it to Apple’s home page, and as I write this on the Friday just prior to our publication, it still isn’t there.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.44.0, 2024-10-28).

  Apple Apple M-series chips, Apple Mac, iPad Mini, Mac mini, Macintosh, Newsletters
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